Welcome to Campus, Class of 2018

On Saturday, The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons was the scene of one of the coolest traditions from across the college landscape: Vanderbilt move-in. At Vanderbilt, first-year students are welcomed with the kind of fanfare that’s usually reserved for a Hollywood red carpet or the arrival of visiting heads of state. You hear it before you see it: the cheering hordes of upper class students welcoming the newest ‘Dores. Each new arrival is treated to the same intense greeting as they roll up, and faster than you can say “Anchor Down” the car is swarmed by the helping hands of students on the “move crew” who unload and carry everything. New students get A-list treatment as they’re escorted into their new homes by members of their new family. In addition to students, faculty heads of house and their families are giving out high fives and welcoming the newest members of the House community. Dean of The Commons Frank Wcislo and Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos are a part of the crowd, and greet the new students with a huge smile and welcome. You can get a sense of the excitement for yourself at the video below, or see move-in from the perspective of the Class of 2018 through this collection of their move-in tweets, Instagrams, Facebook posts, and other social media

It’s an incredible scene, and a great way to show the Class of 2018 just how excited we are for them to start their time at Vanderbilt. For us at the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, it is a particularly exciting moment. Through the application process, we’ve gotten to know the Class of 2018. We’ve seen the accomplishments and glimpsed the potential of many of these amazing students, and now it’s time to see what they will do at Vanderbilt.